Book reviews

Title:
Dancing to the beat of the tideAuthor:
Angela NorrisPublisher: MatadorPrice:
£8.99The
proverbial "sleepy backwater" of Over Wyre has produced several first
class writers over the years - eg R G
Shepherd (one time deputy editor and country writer of the Blackpool Gazette)
and J E Bowman (author of "When every day was summer").Now
another name needs to be added to the handful of talented writers whose tales
of being brought up and living in the flatlands of north Fylde, between the countryside and
Morecambe Bay - Angela Norris.Angela,
one-time weekly newspaper reporter who quit journalism for a career in the
health service, has returned to her first love - writing - to pena part-autobiograpahical / part- insightful
documentary of her early years in Preesall and Pilling.It's all
fairly recent history, but with a very personal twist. Despite the times of her
tales being only a few decades ago, her reminiscences and delightful prose jog
the memory of those who lived through those times in this area. The focus is as
sharp as the writing is incisive.

Angela's
portrait shows a countryside district instate of transition. She describes the change in character of Knott End
and Preesall, via the 1960s building boom, from separate communities to what is
effectively now one somewhat urban mass.It's
tempting to describe the book as nostaligic in tone, which is partly true, but
Angela avoids the sentimentality often associated "local"
autobiographies. Few topics are left unmentioned - boyfriend issues, the onset
of periods, teaching troubles (she's not afraid to name bullying teachers),
teen fashions and music not to mention the activities on the back row of the
movies (at Knott End's Verona cinema).One topic
on which she expresses understandably strong views is the 11+ exam. Angela
failed and went to the local secondary modern (St Aidan's). Her description of
the education system of the 60s, and how she believes it failed numerous young
people at the time will be read with interest by many readers.Similarly
Angela's burgeoning feminism and emerging opinions stand out, without making
the book "preachy."She is
brilliant at describing village personalities, of which Preesall and Knott End
still has many.I'm hoping
there will be sequel in which Angela will shed light on her years as a roving
reporter on the Garstang Courier and her later decision to move into the health
service. An analysis of her involvement in regional journalism and the health
sphereI hope Dancing
to the Beat of the Tide becomes of a local classic. It's the first time a book
of this kind about the Over Wyre community has been published. It will be
appreciated by those, like Angela, who are children of the 60s and 70s, as well
as by "incomers" to the district, keen to learn more about its recent
past.

*Dancing to the
Beat of the Tide, is available from Knott End News
and Knott End Post Office or through the author’s Facebook page. Price:
£8.99.

Title: A Ramble round Catterall and DistrictAuthor: Joe LanePrice:
£8

Garstang's southern neighbour, sometimes in the
shadow of its northerly big brother has stepped into the limelight with the
publication of a book firmly focused on the village of Catterall.

While several books with a distinctly Garstang
theme have been written in recent years, the new paperback on the life and history
of Catterall has recently come off the presses.

The simple sounding title "A ramble around
Catterall and district" belies the depth of research undertaken by the
author, a long-standing resident who is reluctant to be identified and wishes
only to be known by his pen-name "Joe Lane."

The 136-page paperback is packed with history,
geography, topographical facts, old photos, maps, statistics reminiscences,
reports from old newspapers and fascinating information about the village's
largely forgotten industrial history.

The book's sale will help boost the funds of a local
memorial fund, the Matthew Hesmondhalgh Fund set up to support the work of the
CRY (Cardiac
Risk in the Young charity). Catterall man Matthew was only 22 when he died on a
night out in 2011.

Explaining the genesis of the book "Joe"
said "As a retired civil engineer specialising in water engineering, I
have always been intrigued by the former industries which the Rivers Calder and
Wyre supported in the village.

"Finding readily-available
information about the topic was difficult as Catterall, despite being a major
industrial centre for about 100 years from the late 18th century, always seems
to get overlooked on historical matters in favour of the bucolic charms of Garstang.

"So I decided to research the
industry side of things and ended up being drawn into the area's dysfunctional
social history as well. And I threw in a few bits about the environs of
Catterall which I frequently pass on my cycle rides.

Mr Lane does not confine himself to the past. He
rightly points out that recent history has proved Catterall to be a strong-minded
community - taking on developers and sometimes winning. Few in the district can
forget the spirited campaign which defeated the animal waste incinerator plan,
or the similar battle against a proposed maggot farm whose would-be developers
had links with the West Indies.

The publication of the book is timely. Parts of the
parish are likely to see more housing development in the coming years - this
book will help preserve much of the village's spirit and help Catterall
residents remember their heritage.

* "A ramble around Catterall" is now on
sale, price £8, from Car Care, High Street, Garstang, and Crimpers, Bridge
Street, Garstang. The book costs price
£8, with all proceeds going to the Matthew
Hesmondhalgh Memorial Fund/Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). The charity aims to
reduce
the frequency of sudden cardiac death in young people through supporting CRY’s
screening programme.

A Celebration of the tricentenary of St Michael's Church, Grimsargh - 1716 to 2016.By David HindlePrice: £10

In the early 18th century dedicated Anglican worshippers from Grimsargh would walk the five miles to Preston parish church on Sundays, conscious they were treading in the paths of history.Their route to Preston would take them along the road taken by Cromwell during the bloody English Civil War 50 years earlier. And shortly before the opening of their own church in 1716 the Grimsargh worshippers would also be conscious that only months earlier the same sanguine spirit had manifested itself at Preston in the last Battle on English soil, which saw the rout of the Jacobites.Out of these chaotic times a more peaceful era was to emerge - with the encouragement of the Preston vicar who had witnessed much of the Jacobite v Hanoverian action in November 1715.It was Rev Samuel Peploe, staunch defender of the C of E, and landowning patron Henry Houghton who were responsible for the creation of Grimsargh's own church.Not long before the battle of Preston, Peploe, a stern critic of Catholicism, had voiced his concerns to the then bishop of Chester about the need for a church in Grimsargh, hitting out at the influence of "popery" in the rural area. Peploe expressed the hope that the new church would "of great use to men's souls."Clearly ecumenism was not a feature of those religiously turbulent times. A bell taken from Fernyhalgh (Catholic) church in 1689 found its way into the belfry of the new Grimsargh Church.It's details such as the story of the bell, and Peploe's plea to his bishop revealed in this new book which show the painstaking research carried out by its author, respected Preston historian (and Grimsargh resident) David Hindle.Hindle is no stranger to local history, with books on a variety of subjects, including 'Grimsargh, the story of a Lancashire Village' (2002). Who better for the church authorities at St Michael's to turn to when it came to writing a book for the church's 300th anniversary than Mr Hindle?Although only 34-pages long this excellent book leaves no stone unturned about the history of St Michael's...the subject of stones featuring in chapter two where we learn ashlar stone from Longridge's quarries were used for the construction.Fascinatingly, in considering the wider ecclesiastical scene at the time, Hindle also points out the church was one of only five built in the whole of Amounderness (The Fylde, Preston and district) in the 18th century.But churches are more than bricks and mortar - and it is the tales of the families associated with St Michael's as well as the clergy down the centuries which add to the interest of the book.The author lists all the clergy who have led the Grimsargh flock, including a few 'characters' such as the wonderfully-named late Victorian vicar Rev Tertius Augustus Buzzard who combined his pastoral duties with caring for the peacocks in the churchyard and ministering home made medicines to the sick. From the mid-1930s the vicar was the notoriously untidy Rev George Oswald Rubie, who banned women from his study in case they tried to tidy his clutter. This man of the cloth also had two guns, enjoyed showing cine films to villagers and evacuee children and preached to congregations of more than 200.Two particularly fascinating appendices take a detailed look at other aspects of parish life - an extract and commentary on parts of Victorian diary of Kathleen Ellen Cross of Red Scar, whose family's history is intertwined with the church, and a look at the work and witness of the church school which takes its name from the parish - including the tale of Nellie Carbis, its late headteacher who is still remembered with fondness in Grimsargh.As to the future of the church? According to Mr Hindle the church's status as a building of architectural interest should ensure its long-term survival, before perceptively adding "Of greater importance than the architecture...is the concept of a living, vibrant, church fulfilling the purpose for which it was originally consecrated."The residents of Grimsargh should be well pleased with this 34-page history book. There is much within its covers to commend it to both parishioners, as well as lovers of local history.* A Celebration of the tricentenary of St Michael's Church, Grimsargh - 1716 to 2016 will be formally launched at the church on January 27 at 7.30pm, though copies are already on sale at Grimsargh Post Office. Copies may also be obtained from David Hindle on 07572823520 or from his sister, Jayne Woollam, who is organiser of the tricentenary events, on 0774934208 David 07572823520. On the night of the book launch Mr Hindle will be conducting tours of the church and explaining its history and features, including an opportunity to view the burial place of William and Ellen Cross who are entombed in the chancel, marked by a magnificent ornamental gothic-style brass plate.Research was undertaken over 18 months/two years and supported by a friend and direct descendant of the Cross family, Anthony Assheton Cross from Devon. He has generously donated £300 for his one copy, representing £1 for every year of the churches existence 1716 - 2016

Title: Preston Planes Trains Tramcars and Ships

Author: David John Hindle

Publisher: Amberley

Price: £12.99

Packing hundreds of years of Preston's transport history
into 120 pages is no mean feat, but veteran author David Hindle has achieved
it.

The retired policeman from Grimsargh has authored many books
on a variety of topics over the past few years - from birdwatching to Preston's
entertainment history to local railways.

In his latest contribution to the ever-growing number of
good quality local and regional history books, this one on the area's transport
history is to be welcomed.

It has an amusing starting point...who can imagine sedan
chairs being carted, with passenger inside, through the busy streets of the
city these day? And yet, that was one of the ways in which people from certain
classes of society got around town in the days of yesteryear!

Taking a thematic approach to history means strict
chronology isn't too important. Nevertheless it is with Preston's early network
of trains, trams and canals, and the district's connections with the rest of
the country, which dominate the opening chapters.

Extensive quotations from 'Bradshaws' guidebook (the
Victorian railway 'bible' followed by Michael Portillo in his popular TV
railway journeys) sets the scene for understanding how roads, railways and
canals all played their part in period between the Industrial Revolution and
the ongoing commercial growth of town in the 19th century.

Hindle takes his reader from turnpike roads and stagecoach
journeys to canals and railways, and, of course the much missed Preston tramway
system. It is the story of the tramways which forms one of the most fascinating
chapters.

Its predecessor were horsedrawn omnibuses, which gave way
(in 1879) to horsedrawn trams, linking the town centre to Fulwood.By the early 20th century electric tramcars
took over with a fleet of 30 double-decked open-top tramcars manufactured by WB
Dick and John Kerr taking to the tramlines. In its first year of operation Preston's
tram system carried a staggering seven million passengers.

And there were even "green" ideas in those days.
Hindle observes: "Trams ran off electricity generated by incinerators
burning the town's waste."

The routes of the various tramtracks are fully explained,
including short links, for example from Preston railway station to Deepdale
football ground.

Two motor companies have their origins in this part of Lancashire
- the (literally) tiny Bond minicar company and the once internationally
respected Leyland Motors.

Hindle dubs these two the David and Goliath of the area's
motor manufacturers!

The story of three wheel motor vehicle developed by Lawrence
Bond is something of a minor side story in British motor manufacturing history,
but for Preston form the 1940s to mid-60s it was an important industry. The
Bond could travel to London on two gallons of petrol, making it the most
economical car in the country. During peak production around 300 cars a week
were made at their base at Ribbleton Lane.

Another motor manufacturer now gone, though certainly not
forgotten, is Leyland Motors, based in Leyland. It was producing 6,000 vehicles
a year during World War One, becoming a world leader in the market for
commercial vehicles, notably trucks and buses.

Its history is traced from the glory days to the time,
within living memory of many Preston and Leyland workers, to the 1970s and 80s
when, Britain's industrial decline led to the splitting and sell-off of the
company.

Hindle's enthusiasm for trains, and steam trains in
particular, is well known. His previous books and lectures on long since
disappeared railways around Preston and Longridge are deservedly poplar. His encyclopaedic
knowledge of the area's steam days is reflected in the book through the
judicious selection of many rail photos from Preston, Leyland and Farington, reminding
the reader that, as one Victorian commentator once put it, Preston at one time
had the most comprehensive railway service anywhere in the country.

Preston's proximity to the coast and the passing River
Ribble add another transport theme....the role of Preston as a port and a ship
building base. The relatively short-lived tale of the rise and fall of Preston
Docks has been documented in many places, but Hindle manages to re-tell the
story freshly, summarising the developments from the building of the Albert
Edward Dock to the end of commercial shipping within living memory.

The closing chapters document the links between Dick,Kerr
and English Electric and the enterprising developments in engineering and
aeronautical science which helped to put Preston and district at the forefront
of aviation technology. The stories of aircraft such as the Canberra,
Lightning, the TSR2, Jaguar, Tornado and Eurofighter/Typhoon, made at Preston
by successive generations of aircraft workers, all feature in this book, along
with details of the 'family trees' of the different companies which have been
at the forefront of this aspect of Britian's air defence export industry.

Preston Planes Trains Tramcars and Ships is a comprehensive
documentary of all aspects of the area's transport history. It is equal to
Hindle's other excellently-researched books and deserves a place on the
bookshelves of anyone seriously interested in local history.